THIS IS AN OPINION
We'd also like to hear yours.
Tweet us @ArkBusiness or email us
Here in Arkansas and across much of the country, we have pushed to more closely align public secondary and higher education with the demands of industry.
This is 100% the right move, but I’m constantly on guard against approaches that pursue this end to the detriment of the humanities. It’s rarely explicit, but I do often find it implicit in language around the return on investment on certain courses of study.
The humanities are essential to a well-rounded education, and several studies have found that people who major in the liberal arts can actually see comparable ROI on their degrees. What is consistent is that STEM degrees offer a quicker ROI.
In today’s economy, we certainly need to ensure that public institutions are offering the technical training needed in northeast Arkansas’ steel mills or the increasingly sophisticated skill set needed in northwest Arkansas’ supply-chain and logistics sector.
But we do our state and those students a disservice when they aren’t also given quality instruction in history, literature, writing and thinking.
What can teach of the dangers of communism like Orwell’s farm animals?
How better to learn of the depravity of man than studying Jim Crow?
And who can help us better understand the purpose of higher education better than the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch?
“For the mind does not require filling like a bottle, but rather, like wood, it only requires kindling to create in it an impulse to think independently and an ardent desire for the truth.”
The humanities, I’d posit, are the pieces of kindling awaiting the flint strike of a curious mind. They don’t just provide “soft skills,” the phrase often used to dismiss them. They are the very foundation of leadership, civic engagement and innovation. Without them, we risk producing a workforce that is technically capable but intellectually and morally ill-equipped.
Businesses, after all, are collections of people, and to succeed, we need people who are more than skilled technicians. They must solve problems, communicate and lead with vision.
We don’t need doctors who only possess clinical knowledge and skills. We need doctors who communicate effectively with patients, understand diverse perspectives and grapple with ethical dilemmas. These are the kinds of competencies that the humanities foster.
Public education shouldn’t be a zero-sum game. Arkansas can support economic development and workforce readiness while affirming the role of the humanities. This means ensuring that funding formulas and degree incentives don’t penalize programs that don’t neatly match current labor demands, and it means affirming a commitment to cultivating citizens, not just workers.
If Arkansas wants to build an economy that’s competitive, resilient, humane and forward-looking, let’s not leave behind the very disciplines that teach us how to understand our world — as well as one another.
Sign up for Daily E-news
